Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC £190/$200

SM ALL BUILD, AN D A SMALL PRICE TO PAY

This newest addition to Tamron’s lineup is compact and remarkably lightweight, at just 400g. Not only is it the lightest lens in the group, but it’s also the least expensive, by a big margin.

Part of the weight-saving is due to the Tamron being the only lens on test to feature a plastic mounting plate, but it nevertheless includes a weatherseal ring and construction feels solid and durable. Compared with the original Tamron 18-200mm, this new edition is completely redesigned, and adds the company’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) optical stabilization and a new ‘DC motor-gear train integration’ autofocus system. The focus ring still rotates during autofocus and there’s no full-time manual override, but it’s very much quieter during operation.

Performance

Throughout the albeit shorter zoom range, sharpness is better than from the older Tamron 18-270mm lens on test. The only caveat is that corner-sharpness was a little lacklustre when shooting at 100mm using the widest available aperture.